I was doing my Etsy rounds earlier and I stumbled upon this shop called Coolbeans717. this shop focuses on cases made of felt. It features cases for various gadgets like the iPhone, iPod (various models), and the Zune. There are around 40 or so cases on offer in the shop, but here are the ones that I think might interest you.

Spam Meat Can Felt Case

As you can see, it looks just like that good old Spam – who doesn’t like Spam? At the back of the case, you can make use of the pocket for headphones and other small items that you like to bring around with you. This case can fit iPhones, the iPod Classic, and the iTouch. Phones of similar sizes will also fit. This goes for $25.

Pac Man Clyde Ghost Felt Case

Now THAT’s classic, isn’t it? This case also fits the same items mentioned above, and it comes in other “ghost variations.” It will set you back $20.

Great Christmas gift ideas, don’t you think?

Believe it or not folks, the cellphone you see in the attached image is actually a working phone. Well, at least if you are in China where it is currently available on a limited supply only.

What can I say? It’s the ultimate dream phone for all you die-hard Michael Jackson fans.  Whoever conceptualized the design of this MJ phone is definitely a true-blooded Michael Jackson fans. Everything about the design speaks of MJ’s style and persona. It’s like MJ personified. This limited edition Michael Jackson is packed with some MJ goodies as well, particularly a complete DVD set of all Michael’s live performances. It could probably a case of music piracy so, I’m not really endorsing it.

But if you’re a MJ fan, you might be contacting your friendly Chinese importer right now to get this gadget for you.

Feature-wise, there’s nothing much that we can see from the attached image of the phone’s promotional flyer except for – Bluetooth,USB support, high-def camera, ebook reader, and FM radio. Of course the it’s also a music phone.

We have no way of telling how much this phone is going to cost you. But who cares, right? You’re not likely to get it anyway, are you?

via Engadget via M8cool

myGrid is a dock which can charge various gadgets at the same time. Think about it, if you have a mobile phone (or two), an mp3 player (or two), and other gadgets, you would probably have lots of wires lying around in a corner near the wall socket. This could get really irritating, not to mention dangerous!

With myGrid, you have just one dock and one wire – from the dock to the socket. One really cool feature of this device is that it has the capability to charge gadgets wirelessly! Of course, the gadgets have to be myGrid-enabled. Currently, myGrid-enabled gadgets are Blackberry, Motorola, and the iPhone. You just need to place these gadgets on the grid and you’re good to go. Even better, you can charge up to four gadgets at a time!

For gadgets which are not enabled, you can purchase add-ons such as the Duracell Power Clip. This will allow you to charge your devices which can connect through the USB port. You can purchase the myGrid Starter Kit from Amazon for a discounted price of $76.79. Add-ons are also available.

Don’t strive too hard for that college degree – iPhone users place more value on the cool gadgets that you own anyway. If you were thinking to impress that guy or girl with a degree with lots of fancy words, chuck the idea. Just work hard to get money saved up to buy yourself a plethora of cool gadgets!

On a similar note, if you have “out-of-date” gadgets, forget your chances with an iPhone owner. The survey found out that one in three iPhone owners find old gadgets a turn off. So make sure you do not bring out that brick of a cell phone in front of them! Then again, perhaps you should just get an iPhone and forget all about everything else.

How’s this for irony: one out of four iPhone owners broke up with their partner for the simple reason that that partner spent too much time on his/her mobile device! I honestly don’t get this. I would have thought that the iPhone user would be spending way too much time on his/her toy as well.

For more of these “facts,” visit the whole article here.

How many thumb drives have you bought so far? I’ve got a couple of them and I would say that this tiny portable storage devices definitely come in handy for bringing along important files wherever I go. The problem is most thumb drives come with a transfer speed of around 480/mbps. And that could be slow especially when transferring around 4GB of data.

Enter SuperTalent’s RAIDDrive – a USB 3.0 powered thumb drive which brags of up a nominal 4.8GB/s transfer speed.  4.8GB/s? So now we’re talking.What’s cool about this thumb drive is that you can still plug into USB 2.0 ports and it works like your ordinary USB thumb drive with the same transfe speed as USB 2.0 drives.

But when you plug it into a proper USB 3.0, that’s when the transfer speed comes in.

The SuperTalent RAIDDrive is available in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities. It utilizes a “multiple pairs of differential serial data lines technology.” In non-geek term it simply means that the technology it employs boost the performance of the thumb drive significantly.

The SuperTalent RAIDDrive is scheduled for a December release. Pricing info is currently unavailable.

via

Here’s a neat little invention that can solve those issues – the Neuber Energy Sun Bag. It’s basically a carrying bag and charger all in one. It has some Konarka Power Plastic solar panels on the outside, ensuring that you will have enough juice even if you go to the middle of nowhere with no electric power. All you need is the power of the sun and you’re good to go!

Obviously, you are putting a premium on convenience here. The bag weighs in at only 500 g – roundabouts a pound – with all the stuff necessary to make it function included. That will, of course, be heavier with your netbook, cell phones, mp3 players, etc. in it. The picture shown above is a basic model, but there are 36 other colors that you can choose from, so throw your fashion worries out the window!

More than the convenience, however, the idea of using solar power is definitely a positive one – you can do your bit for Mother Earth. The price, though, is not that nice as it is supposed to go for 99euros (a little over $100). If you travel a lot, I say that it’s worth it, don’t you think?

Can you believe it? Are we users so addicted to Twitter, tweets, twittering and retweets enough for an electronics manufacturer to  consider releasing a Twitter stand-alone device?  Believe it or not but it’s true, the TwitterPeek gadget was made for the sole purpose of doing all your Twitter activities.Even more interesting is the fact that TwitterPeek is not yet officially announced by the manufacturer and yet it is already listed at Amazon for $199.

Details about TwitterPeek are pretty interesting:

• World’s first Twitter mobile device
• Unlimited tweets and direct messages
• Nationwide coverage. No wifi signal necessary
• Includes service for lifetime of device
• No contracts or hidden fees
• “Always on” instant tweet delivery
• Full QWERTY keyboard, large color screen, click scroll wheel
• Long battery life lasts up to 4 days

Obviously TwitterPeek wants to challenge smartphones and other mobile devices in offering a gadget where you can stay connected on Twitter, tweet and reply on the go and without the hassles and costs of maintaining a mobile phone or mobile internet device.

But the question is – does the price justifies what TwitterPeek can actually do?

via LiveDigitally

Call it sheer geekiness or simply the lack of anything productive to do, but these two guys certainly deserve some credit for working on thees iPhone costumes. You might want to emulate them and create one that you can wear on Halloween. Who knows you might scare away your friends or neighbors who are still using the BlackBerry or Android Phone.

Incidentally, these two were the same guys who did a similar iPhone costume in 2007. So, definitely it was a 1st gen iPhone costume and lacks the current version of the costume’s LCD TVs plus actual car batteries to power-up them up.

And like I said, despite the lack of productive purpose, these two guys still deserve some accolades because those costumes weighs 85 pounds. You can just imagine how burdensome it would be to wear those costumes.

In case you’re wondering, those LCD screens are not touchs enabled. It would been great if they are.

via TUAW

Rekindle just a little of the classic arcade game magic while also having a neat, though potentially irritating, way to be woken up in the morning.

The Space Invaders alarm clock, fully licensed by Taito, is exclusive to Firebox in the UK and features a cacophony of familiar sights and sounds whenever the alarm goes off.

Watch a demo of the alarm on the product page. It’s £24.95 ($41).

If you’re not yet into e-books,  well  you’re in luck. It’s not hard to get into e-book reading today especially since you have several options on what e-book reader to get. Here are some of the e-book readers available in the market today  in case your interested to join the e-book bandwagon.Amazon Kindle

Of course you’ve heard of the Amazon Kindle.  What started as a 6-inch reader that displays e-books in e-ink against a gray background now has a larger 9-inch model. And it’s even going international as announced a few days ago. This means, that non-U.S. readers can now purchase the Kindle from Amazon and connect to the Amazon Kindle Store to get their fix of e-book goodness.

Sony e-Book Reader

The Kindle’s closest rival in the e-book reader market. It supports multiple file formats including ePub and PDF. Aside from tying up with Google books, Sony has also established its own online e-book store. The Sony eReader price starts from $199.99 for the Pocket edition and $299.99 for the Touch edition.

These two e-book readers are currently the major players in the eReader market. But there are other manufacturers who are planning to join the fun.

LG’s Solar Powered e-Book Reader

LG recently launched its own e-book reader and it has caught many people’s attention because  it is said to be solar-powered. It has a 10 centimeter wide thin-film panel that absorbs the sun’s energy to provide a full day’s worth of reading time. Other details of this e-book reader are yet to be announced but it is enough that we know that it is going to be one of those environment-friendly gadgets.

Plastic Logic’s Que Reader

Plastic Logic’s upcoming e-book reader has been getting a lot of attention lately.  In fact just today, it has finally been christened as the Plastic Logic QUE e-Book Reader. It is also rumored that this e-book reader will tie-up with Barnes and Nobles which recently launched it’s online e-book store.  With this tie-up Amazon should start worrying about its Kindle business.

Eee Reader

When Asus announced that it will be coming up with an Eee Reader, many got excited simply because Asus was able to to bring the netbook market to where it is right now with its famous Eee PC netbook line. Hopefully, the Eee Reader would materialize soon, as Asus promises to bring down the cost of e-book readers to the level which  majority of consumers will easily afford.

These are just five of the e-book readers that are expected to further shape the gradually becoming popular e-book reader market. Of course, it would be great if Google which announced its online e-book store recently, the Google Editions would join the fun and perhaps even with Apple and Microsoft might join the party soon.

I’m not a professional photographer although most of my friends are inclined to consider me as such. But when asked if I am a pro, I’d always reply that I’m more of a photo hobbyists/enthusiasts. Anyway, that’s not the subject of this article but what I really want to know is just how many digital cameras do you have right now? To make it more fun, let’s include phone cameras. And to make it even more fun, let’s include the cameras in your household.

I’ve got seven of them and they are:

Canon EOS 40D – Bought this one year ago as a replacement to my old Canon 400D (sorry Nikon fanboys). Along with this camera are several accessories including an external Speedlite 480ex, a Lowerpro camera bag, extra Li-ion battery, screen protectors. Obviously this one is what I use for my photo gigs.

Canon Ixus 100IS – This baby never leaves my pocket or bag. It’s so small that I could slipped it into my pocket and bring it anywhere I go. What for? Mostly for food photography.

iPhone 3GS Camera – If I want to share photos quickly to Facebook, I use my iPhone’s camera. The 3MP would produce decent quality photos. But lately, I’ve been using it because of the photo enhancement apps that I’ve downloaded. The most recent was “The Best Camera App.”

Sony Ericsson G900 Camera – It beats the iPhone’s 3MP camera but the only gripe about it is that it focus to slowly. The iPhone camera is faster.

Canon A650IS – My wife’s trusty old 12MP Camera. She’s waiting for me to hand her down the IXUS 100IS before she disposes this camera. I’ve used this several times and I would have to say that this camera is decent enough and falls just a little bit short of the Canon G90 in terms of features and functionality.

iPhone 3G Camera – This is my wife’s phone which she inherited from me after I got my 3GS. Lower MP than the 3GS but could still produce good quality photos.

Flip MinoHD – This is more for videos but you can produce still images from those videos. Never tried it though.

Sony Ericsson W760i – This one also beats the iPhone 3GS’ camera with its 3.2MP camera with auto-focus. Good enough to take decent quality photo.

There you go, 7 still image capturing devices. Care to share you collection of digital and mobile phone cameras?

1. LaCie Starck Desktop/Mobile hard drives

Desgned by Philippe Starck, these cool hard drives (one for the desktop, one for mobile users) look amazing, are made from thick aluminium casing, have a touch sensitive surface for quick launch of applications, and come with auto-backup software.

Lacie UK

2. Buffalo SuperSpeed USB 3.0 hard drive

Not only does Buffalo’s hard drive use the cutting edge USB 3.0 high speed interface offering up to 125MB/s data transfer rates, but its black curvy body is well worth showing off as you transfer high definition movies back and forth in mere seconds.

3. Buffalo MiniStation

Attractive portable hard drives from Buffalo feature built-in security and direct USB connection without the need for an additional power supply.

4. Toshiba portable hard drive

This 400GB portable hard drive from Toshiba has some cool blue swishes on it and has NTI Shadow backup software built in.

Via

5. Seagate FreeAgent Pro

Like orange? Try this desktop hard drive from Seagate: the FreeAgent Pro, available in a range of capacities and connectable via FireWire, USB 2.0 or eSata.

Via

6. Suissa Shadow Wooden external hard drive

If you yearn for a wood effect on your gadgets, check out this hard drive from Suissa.

As you can see, this maplewood drive has plenty of connectivity so it’s also a USB hub.

Each unit is built to order.

Via

7. Seagate eSATA external hard drive

Sports one of the most up-to-date data connections and 500GB of storage.

Via

8. Iomega Camo Ego hard drive

Check out the camouflage on this hard drive, the Iomega Camo Ego. It’s not just pretty colours either, as it has Drop Guard protection built in to protect data, plus a Power Grip band that is supposed to provide stability and extra durability.

Via

9. GigaBank 1TB hard drive

One terabyte of storage as two 500GB drives in an array, with some interesting curves on the body and stand.

Via

10. Anaconda 1TB hard drive

Not much to say about this drive, except to note the cool blue light swish on the front panel.

Via

11. LaCie Rugged XL hard drive

Definitely one for orange lovers who need rugged protection for their hard drive.

Via

12. Fabrik SimpleTech [re]drive

Offering Turbo USB 2.0 for 25% faster performance and an enclosure made from sustainable bamboo.

Via

For those who aren’t scratching their vinyl (in a DJ kinda way, not in a careless way), but do have a record collection worth playing or converting to digital, the Linos USB record player could be the most portable solution.

Interestingly, the designer reckons you shouldn’t use the device if you don’t like music OR if you’re an audiophile. Either that’s an incorrect use of the word, or the sound quality isn’t actually good enough for those who absolutely revere the analogue platter format.

I don’t own any records but I can see this being a useful addition for those who don’t want the bulk of a hi-fi component but still want to dust off the old collection from time to time.

Not quite sure where you can get it from, or how much it costs.

Pyott Design (Via)

My mousepad is constructed in such a way that my laser mouse works quite well on it (until I drop it off the edge onto the desk, that is) should I still wish to use it.

However, the really innovative move by a mousepad manufacturer worried about dwindling sales is to… put a note pad on it.

Yes, really.

This isn’t just a pad of paper stuck on top of the mouse pad. It’s more like a magic slate, so you can write whatever you like using either your fingers or a stylus, and that will stay put on the mat until you lift the top sheet.

It’s perhaps come a little late for a lot of people, given that there are a lot of other ways of leaving notes for yourself or others, both physical and virtual. Still, it’s just $14.99 so might be worth a look.

You can get it from Quirky

PS I just love the URL of the site I found it on. I must admit I thought of “scratch ‘n’ sniff” when I first read it!

Via

Actually, no, scratch that, I haven’t, but I can see some use for the DIY fridge magnet clock here.

The idea is that you attach the basic mechanism to the fridge door and then place various “activity” discs around to form the 12 hours of the day. In fact, you could probably use even less, as seen in the picture.

The concept is probably good for those who have a very regular schedule, but I don’t think it would work for me. Though I might get up at much the same time every day and make a coffee, I don’t need the fridge to tell me to do that. Plus, I don’t think I’ll be regularly (if ever) taking part in some of the activities depicted on the blue magnetic discs:

Make what you will of some of those. You could probably quite easily make your own activity discs too.

Where does the kit come from? We don’t know, sorry.

Via

It comes with a little mallet, much like that found on a xylophone, which allows the user to know how much water (if any) is in the jug based on the tones made by the hammer when it strikes the body and the handle.

When the two tones are the same, the pitcher is empty, yet the fuller the jug is the higher the note emitted from the body, while the tone from the handle stays the same.

I guess it has some practical advantages for the visually impaired, or just as a cool little trick to know whether there’s water available without lifting the lid.

It’s a concept design by Petit Invention.

That space around the back of your iMac: what is it good for?

Not much, so why not put a BackPack on it: a sturdy little shelf that could hold a hard drive or even a Mac Mini (apparently).

They can be stacked up and rely on gravity and a couple of clips, so no damage will be done to the computer. There’s also the added benefit of ventilation for devices that need it.

Available for $29.99 each, or $149.99 for a six pack.

There are three to choose from, loaded up with either Donkey Kong Jr, Mario’s Cement Factory or Super Mario Bros. You might find your keyring decoration far outweighs the number of keys you have.

They’re styled as miniature Game Boys and cost just £9.99 (about $15) each. I saw them at Firebox.

Next you’ll be tattooing Mario and Luigi on your feet.

Although I am big fan of the simplicity of Field Notes, and actually a plain boring notebook use, I love the concept of this retro floppy disc notebook.

Maybe not as simple or practical to put in your pocket as Field Notes, this one’s got the looks. More than just the front, the back of the notebook looks totally ace (pictured below).

Biggest minus point about this 6cm by 6cm notebook is that it only 60 pages has and a whopping €8.50 costs. Still, the look of it is ace!

Get it for little more than $300 (WTF!?) from BBTS.

Today be no exception to this as we present you the Lego coffee table Foosball table top by MTDewMonkey

I’m proud to introduce you to my latest and greatest M.O.C. The all new never before seen LEGO Coffee Table Foosball Table! That’s right! The soccer set we actually wanted! Entertain your AFOL friends at your next LUG meeting and challenge them to a game. Battle it out and claim victory for your custom minifig team. All LEGO fans will love the LEGO Coffee Table Foosball Table. It fits any theme, as long as you have the minifigs. And for all you Steampunk Lovers out there it comes in an authentic “faux” oak woodgrain finish.

Source: MTDewMonkey’s flickr.

Here’s a great little digital clock made up from OLEDs. Each figure can be attached to a wall, has its own power supply, is touch-sensitive and even has a light sensor built in to reverse the illumination based on the ambient light.

It’s certainly minimal and would look great on the wall. Unfortunately it doesn’t have a manufacturer yet. Check out the pictures below.

Not known if this item from Famous When Dead is for sale, but one would hope not!

Only $18.

Ignacio’s announcement post.

The disappointment with netbooks — NPD analyst Stephen Baker preferred that term rather than “dissatisfaction” — stemmed from expectations that a netbook was the same, more or less, as a laptop. Six out of every 10 netbook buyers, said Baker, thought that the two were equivalent, and figured that their new netbook would have the same functionality as a laptop.

I have been a netbook user for more than a year now. Since the first Eee PCs were shipped by Asus, I bought myself one. Since then, I’ve been trying different models from different brands. So far, I’ve been satisfied with performance.

It all boils down to expectations. And it depends on perspective, too.

Netbooks are practically the same as their full-fledged notebook counterparts. Mostly every component is miniaturized, and you would expect some tradeoffs there. The smaller screen and keyboard might not be as good for usability. But the portability is surely a key feature. The smaller parts might usually be slower, such as the hard drive or flash-based SSD, but they are designed for portability and sometimes for durability, as is the case with solid state drives. Their processing power might not be as hefty as with most modern, dual-core processors, but the low-power platform is supposed to give you longer battery life.

Because they can run the same software as you would on bigger computers, netbooks are supposed to be able to give the same functionality. Foremost of these is the ability to get you connected to the Internet. Perhaps that’s why they’re called “net” books–this what they are primarily intended for.

The issue here is about expectations. Some users purchase netbooks thinking, perhaps, that these can totally replace a desktop or notebook computer. To some extent this can be true. But people might be in for a disappointment if they will rely solely on their netbooks. I’ve purchased netbooks with the thought of using these as my mobile office when I’m on the go. But I don’t consider netbooks to be my primary computer. I still have a desktop and a laptop that I consider my main work machines.

If you purchase a netbook expecting to crunch hundreds of columns of spreadsheet figures, or to play the latest first-person-shooter, or to render videos, then you might be in for a disappointment. Sure, a netbook can probably handle these tasks, but will perform poorly. But if you expect to use a netbook to chat or catch up on emails while at a cafe, take notes during class, write a short report or letter while at the library, or check up on recipes online while at the kitchen, then these will perform satisfactorily or even wonderfully. It’s all about expectations.

Are you a netbook user? If so, are you satisfied with your netbook?

image credit: flickr/ndevil

First, I want to say that I am not an artist, and my drawing talents are really very weak, but I enjoyed being able to use a drawing tablet on more than one occassion since receiving it.

The Adesso Z12 is a twelve inch by ten inch tablet with a ten inch by six and a quarter inch drawing area. The whole unit is very lightweight, and I found it to have a very solid build quality, especially for how thin it is.

While I probably won’t use over half of the features it includes, the Z12 has 1024 level pressure sensitivity and 2000 LPI resolution with twenty-eight programmable hot keys.

The Z12 comes with a software package for Windows XP and Vista users, but installing it on my Windows 7 computer was easy. I plugged it in via USB, and immediately it started working. Of course the hot keys weren’t functioning, but it was easy enough to install the drivers that came with the package.

Other items in the package included the stylus pen, AAA size battery for the pen, two extra pen tips, a solid rubber pen holder, and various disks including drivers, Adesso’s own software, and a copy Corel’s Ulead PhotoImpact 12 SE.

I decided to use Paint.NET, a free drawing application. The tablet worked well. It took me some time to get used to how a tablet functions as it is very different from a mouse. When I picked up the stylus from the tablet, and moved it to the right or left, and placed it back down, it was though I was drawing on a paper, and so the drawing would start in a new area, rather than where I “left” the mouse cursor. There was also a disconnect for me, as I continued to look down at my position, only to not have any real information without looking at what I was doing on the screen. I think this would change after some use, but for me, it was a strange feeling.

There is a toggle button on the pen that allowed me to stop it from drawing, so I could keep my strokes fairly consistent. I found the reaction time of the tablet to be amazing, and it didn’t show any signs of lagging behind or having any issues with my rapid strokes. I tried a few times to throw it off without issue.

I was also worried about the amount of pressure I could put on the pen. I have a fairly light touch when it comes to writing and drawing because I am left handed, and get annoyed when pencil or pen ink smears on the page. I wasn’t worrying about this with the tablet, and found myself having to remember to push a little harder than I am used to to create thicker lines. This pressure difference though makes controlling the thinness and thickness of lines much easier.

If you can draw, design, or otherwise create art, this tablet is a must have. If you enjoy taking notes by hand, or love to mock-up user interface sketches, this tablet is also a great accessory to have.

While I’ve only tried and tested a few other tablets before, I find myself being very impressed with the versatility, build quality and overall simplicity of this tablet. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the sensitivity and precision beats competition, but it is definitely equivalent. If you are interested in the Z12, it currently retails for $129.99.

Other products in the Adesso tablet line include: CyberTablet M14, with a larger drawing area, the CyberPad A4, made for handwritten note taking on the go, the CyberTablet 12000, a tablet that can also be portable, the CyberTablet 6400, a smaller tablet, and the CyberTablet M17, a 17″ LCD Graphic Tablet monitor.

So is this scenario a familiar one?

Partner A: Honey, it’s time to go do the groceries.

Partner B: Yeah. Just let me finish this level.

Partner A: You said that an hour ago. You said we’d go in an hour.

Partner B: Yeah. Well I am not done with the level yet. Just a sec….

Partner A: What’s this button do? (Finger hovering over the power button…)

Partner B: Don’t you dare!

Yeah, this has actually happened to me – and continues to happen on a more or less regular basis. That got me thinking, maybe there’s a way to limit playing time when there are other things to be done?

I found a very interesting solution in John Morrissey’s Game Dr Video Game Timer. This gadget cuts off the power to the console after a specified number of hours. Obviously, someone has to input the number of hours. Once the power shuts off, the timer has to be re-programmed and a password is needed to do this. The good thing is that before it cuts the power off, it gives you several warnings so that you can save your game.

True, it is meant for parents who want to instill discipline in their children but who says adults can’t use it too? What do you think?

I can see why it’s aimed at 3G S users, because when you’re video recording the built-in mic is angled the wrong way (given that in the past it’s only really been used for making phone calls and for playing ocarina).

This Mini Capsule mic is flexible so you can angle it where it’s needed. It has the added “advantage” that it makes your iPhone look a bit like an old-style cell phone with visible antenna. Yeah, like that’s a feature. The real feature is a claimed 10x better audio reception.

I’m sure we’ll see plenty of new ways of getting audio on to the iPhone as manufacturers make use of the improved dock connector, particularly as there are some kickass music creation apps available now. Some headsets also have decent mikes built in which are up to the task, but this is definitely one of the dinkiest solutions.

It’s only $14 too. Go grab it from Brando.

Via

Actually, there’s a lot of other stuff besides robots, but that’s what caught my eye. The pic above is Industrial-Grade P-8 Lifter Robot. Be sure to check out the original artwork.

How about this Crusader:

Or how about Gundeer:

Really, go and check out the rest, they’re awesome.

Okay, maybe not everyone has that urge but I can think of countless other situations wherein the Bottle Cap Tripod will come in handy.

Say you and your hubby (or wife or partner) are on vacation together. Naturally, you would want pictures with both of you in them, right? Option one: have the waiter take pictures of you. Option two: have one of you (whoever has longer arms) take the picture. Option three: lug a tripod along (assuming you have one). Option four: Bottle Cap Tripod.

Other possibilities: group picture at the office, group picture during a night out drinking, etc.

So what makes the Bottle Cap Tripod advantageous over “real” tripods?

First, it’s just ₤6.95.

Second, it’s so small you won’t even feel that it’s in your bag.

Three, you don’t need specialized equipment to use it. Just pop it on top of any standard screw-top bottle and you’re ready to go. More than serving as a handy holder for your camera, the tripod also stabilizes the camera for clearer shots. More so, it pivots round 360 degrees, making sure that you can take picture from any angle, wherever the bottle may be.

Now imagine yourself on a field of grass having a picnic…I am sure you can find a bottle somewhere to hold your camera.

Anyhow, it got me reading up on more Walkman stories, and one of the most interesting that I ran across is Scott Campbell’s little experiment. Scott is a 13-year-old kid who has used an mp3 player most of his life. When challenged to swap his iPod for a Walkman for one week, he didn’t realize just how much of an adventure he was in for.

The BBC featured his review and comparison of the two portable music players. It was quite amusing to read his thoughts:

My dad had told me it was the iPod of its day.

He had told me it was big, but I hadn’t realised he meant THAT big. It was the size of a small book.

When I saw it for the first time, its colour also struck me. Nowadays gadgets come in a rainbow of colours but this was only one shade – a bland grey.

His dad’s Walkman must have been way older than mine – mine is black and not THAT big (at least I think so!). Anyway, you can read the rest of his story here.

Maybe you have your own nostalgic moments about the Walkman? Any interesting stories of your own?

So what about mice? If you are the kind who tends to spill water (or, God forbid, coffee) on your gadgets, you might want to take a look at some of the waterproof mice in the market. One of the newest washable mice is the Cherry MW-2800. It is optical and tracks at 1,200dpi. You can submerge this baby in water and use it like new after. It’s a bit pricey at $45, though.

Another washable mouse is the one from Belkin, the F5L007. This is cheaper at $29.99 and also has optical tracking at 1,200dpi. However, Belkin recommends washing this mouse under running water and not submerging it. That means that you cannot accidentally drop your mouse into your cup of joe (yes, I have done this).

USB Geek also offers a washable USB mouse for $17. It is heavier than the two other mice and only tracks at 800dpi. Last time I checked though, this was out of stock.

So, do you really need a washable mouse? Probably not but it would be fun to have one and not worry about splashing liquids all over the place. Now for a waterproof laptop…